Changeable display sign



, y 7, 1930. G. MARGOLIN CHANGEABLE DISPLAY SIGN Filed March 31, 1928 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Ge al g6 Inga/f 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 51, 1928Gear 6 J24? 0/1?! 415 abl awent 8 May 27, 1930. I MARGQLIN 1,760,157

CHANGEABLE DISPLAY SIGN Fil ed March 31, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PatentedMay 27, 1930 UNETED PATENT.

G EORGE MARGOLIN, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIQNOB, TO OLAF USSING, OEEAST;RQCK- AWAY, NEW YORK l OHANGEAIBLE DISPLAY ,SIGN

Application flled March 31, 1928. Serial 110,266,407.

This invention relates todisplay signs and more particularly referstothat class of signs where indications to be displayed mayUbe units,each adaptedltochange its own indication independently of the others;

Another objectis, to providein a display sign of'the characterspecified, a sectional unit construction permitting ready removal andreplacement of each individual display element used to compose theindications to be displayed. i

A further object is to provide in a changeable sign of the type 'whereweb member or members wound upon two end reels and adapted to travel ineither clirectioirfro none reel to the other, are used, meansforcontrolling said reels, 1nsur1ng their being operated in their windingdirection only, so

as to prevent the possibility. of the webmemher or members beingoperated in the wrong direction, causing aslack in the tract thereofinterposed between the two reels.

A still'further object is to providea device of the class specified, ofasimple and relatively inexpensive construction, said device beingreadily taken apart, sothat all of the elements of which the same iscomposed are readily accessible for inspection, operation and repairs.

With these and other objects in view, my invention furthermore comprisescertain novel and improved constructions and arrangements of parts aswill be hereinafter de;

- scribed and claimed in the appended claims.

My invention is particularly suitable for use in connection with displaysigns of the transparent type, where the display matter ppears throughan opening provided in a casing, and where suitable light generatingmeans are enclosed within said casing hou ever, most of thefeaturescharacterizing the present invention can also be used to ad tovantage in signs where the illumination of bol carried thereby.

which the sign is composed'i's ge r'a'll L i1 -111 -ll ta1ned;byconnecting the two ends of each "'.\r L; web member to winding reels,and,by c '21, Y H ng the travel, ofsa d web, member b rection.

alphabetical characters, as well a maintaina correct aligm'nent there"winding reels .t teb y m uate jup rods extending for thef entire lengthI of th sign, ,Erach set:ofjreels 'a s"stated jbein g rothe displaymatter is obtainedfrom external sources, as will be understood. 5 1 Theimprovements forming the various objects of the present invention moreparticularly apply to that class of display signs side by side are usedto' 'compos'e ant sp lay the various indications and inforiiiations thatthe sign is intended to convey; saitlw eb bers being individuallyoperable, todi'slplay one oranother portion of their surffa oe eaoliftime displaying a differentcharacter 'br syiil- In signsof thischaracter, theindi vidual operation of the various web m be bf ob Thewebs used are of considerable length, and m each fco'n am a compl seer"s series of numbers from 1 tofO'and 'ad ci 4'! l L I symbols and blankspaces, lf de'siredf s tlfat i almost indication compr s wo r andnumbers may beformed a'nddisplayed 1thin therange of the capacity of thesrg'm', ich

of web members employed.

In such signs, the web members are generrange is mainly dependent numbervided vvith' means :for the r m m in However,- I have found 1 in practce that while such a system of lie' wi'n'ding reels is' simple and, eaene in inaintai n- (i -Se a e-vb fs lo tha il same f whereanumber of webmembersbrraii ed one or the other direction mistakes freouent- 1 occurfirst in determinirn which one of the reels should be rotated and thenin what direction it should be rotated, in order to effect the desiredchange.

When a reel is rotated in a direction opposite to its winding direction,a slack in the exposed tract of web inevitably occurs, and

this interferes with the readability of the display and also constitutesa fruitful source of damage to the paper webs themselves.

I have therefore sought to remedy this undesirable feature by providinga one way mechanism for rotating each reel exclusively in the windingdirection, and also by providmg gulding means for the exposed portion ofill each web member, holding said exposed portion perfectly flat even ifsome slack should occur, in one or the other of the coiled portions ofthe web. 7

Besides, the features mentioned, I have furthermore improved the generalconstruction of this class of devices, as will be apparent from thedescription. The various novel features of my invention will be morereadily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a sign of the transparent illuminated typeembodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view in elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side view in elevation of the same;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional View in an enlarged scale through line 41- 1of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a rear longitudinal section through line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a front longitudinal section through line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is'a fragmentary cross sect1onal view showing in detail themanner of mounting a I transparent covering for the open front portionof the casing;

Fig. 8 is a detail side View in elevation of i one of the reel unitframes;

the same through line 1212 of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary side view in elevation of the same in anenlarged scale illustrating the manner of rotating a reel in its windingdirection.

The structure illustrated in said drawing, comprises a body or hollowcasing 20, the front part of which 21 is open and a cover or frontmember 22 detachably connected to said casing. I r

- I prefer to connect these two parts together by means of a springlocking arrange ment, such as shown in the drawings, in which the twoend surfaces of body or casing 20 are provided with coaxial laterallyprojecting studs 23, 24, and the two end walls 25, 26 of the cover orfront member extend inwardly therefrom, to form lugs or projections suchas 27, each provided with an opening to register and to interlock withsaid studs.

The material out of which said end walls 25, 26, is formed provides thenecessary springiness, the same acting after the fashion of a leafspring in snapping into engagement with said studs.

The cover or front member 22 consists of an outer plate 28 which isprovided throu h its center with a longitudinal opening 29, said frontplate having its edges folded over to form a shallow box as shown at 30.Another plate 31 also provided with a longitudinal opening 32 incorrespondence of opening 29 is inserted within the shallow box formedby plate 28 and its turned over edges 30, leavin a clearance between thetwo plates adapted to receive a transparent member, preferably a glassplate 33.

The top and bottom edges of plate 31, are

also turned at right angle to said plate and.

abut against and are attached to turned over edge portions 30 of plate28, while the end walls of said plate 31 are also bent at right angleand form the resilient end walls 25, 26 described.

The device furthermore comprises a number of reel frame units such as34, which are detachably inserted ina longitudinal row side by sidewithin the shallow box formed by plate 31; said reel frame unitsremaining locked in position when housing 20 and cover or front member22 are joined together in the manner described, as will be explained.

As Fig. 8 to 13. clearly show, each reel frame unit comprises two openfront end reel housings 35, 36 connected by plate 37 integral therewithwhich is substantially in line with the open front portion of saidhousings. Said plate acts as a backing member for a web 38 running overthe same from a reel 39 to a reel 40 inserted within said housings 35,36 respectively.

By virtue of this construction, there is a clearance space 41, back ofplate'3'? between the two inner sides of the reel housings, which formsan elongated chamber at the rear of plate 81 when the reel frame unitsare arranged side by side with their front surface directly opposite theinner surface of said plate 31, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The width ofthe front part 42 of casing 26 corresponds to the width of the chamberformed by clearance spaces ll so that when parts 20, 22 are joinedtogether the front part d2 of part is inserted between the reel houings, with its front edge 43 resting directly against the rear surfaceof backing plates 2? of the reel unit frames.

It is therefore apparent that when parts 2O, 2:2, are assembled as shownin Fig. l, the

unit reel frames are securely locked in position, being clamped betweenthe front ear- 43 of part 20 and the rear surface of p e 31, while themajor portion of the reel hens ings projects beyond the over turned edgeor border portions 30 of plates 28, 31, being thus completely exposedand accessible,

The unit reel frames are set in position and their correct alignment isinsured in y suitable manner. The drawings show the preferred way ofpositioning and retaining said units in position, the same comprisii gthe use of two end lugs l l, 4:5, turned rearwardly from plate 31 atright thereto, centrally of each reel frame spacing.

The outer sides of the reel housings are in their turn formed withcorrespo pressions 46, within which lugs a l, adapted'to be insertedwith close lit. therefore obvious that in order to insei reel unitframes in position, it is suffice to place them against the innersurface of late 31, causing lugs 44, to enter and to interlock withdepressions 46. The pressure exerted by lugs i l, 45, is quitesufficient for frictionally retai ing'the unit fro siticn; at the sametime they prevent lateral displacements t...ereof, and insure tl correcttransversal position and spacing, as will be understood.

The web members 38 are preferably made of thin transparent materialrendered opaque around the outlines of the letters or symbols displayedthereby, or else rendered opaque through the body of the letters orsymbols. The device is f" rthermore completed by providing some suitablelight generating means, such as electric bulbs 4:7 for instance, spacedr lthin casing 20, and by coa the inside surfaces of said cas'ng 20 withble light reflec g material or past, i e from the bulb to be ed directlytowards the front opening of the cat and through the exposed part or ticweb men A s regisering therewith.

Jhen the sign of this transparent type, plat-es re provided. with acentral lg shown in dotted lines at through PL @L 131 whichthe lightissuing from the casing at rear may reach the rearsurface of the F orthe displayed matter to be plainly readable without distortions, itwisessential that the exposed portion of the webs be held perfectly flat,and therefore 1- provide guides for the edges thereof,,in the nature offlanges .48 49 formed b 1 foldin inwardl: 1 over the side edges of theweb the edges of plate or hacking member 37, aslfigs. 9, l2-clearlysnow.

The front of each web interposed between its two reel housings istherefore held in the proper position at all times, even if there (lneof the ways in whichthisend can be attained is illustrated in thedrawings, in which the reels are shown composed of a tubular member 51havinganaxially projecting stud'52 fixed atone, end, and another stud 53at the other end axially movable;

within said tubular member.

A coiled spring 54 is insertedzwithinthe tubular member and tends toforce stud:53 outwardly. The arrangement is such that when stud 53' isforced inwardly byi'applyingz 1 pressure with the finger, stud 52 maybe1n- -serted in a corresponding opening or support through the wall of;itshousing, and then the reel itself may be movedto its normal positionwithin the housing until stud 53 registers withanother opening: orsupport through the opposite side of the housing, coaxial with theopening through which stud 52 was transverselyinserted.

Spring 54 is then free to force-stud 53 outwardly through saidopening,and the reel is thus rotatably inserted in its housing. In orderto remove the reel it islsuficient to force in stud 53 against theaction of spring 54: and to once more extract the reel-froin thehousing. By virtue of this arrangement, I obtaln a reel of an exceedmglysimpleoand lnexpensive nature, and atthe same time as will beobserved,'I provide a reel tending at all times to remain snugly setbetween its supports, stud '53 urged outwardly by the action of spring54providing a frictional braking action which is effective in. maintainingthe reel at its set position at all times. 7

The rotation of each reel in its winding directionis effected by a oneway-mechanism comprising a driven element mounted onsaid reel, anactuator, and an elementibecoming' operative by themovement'of-said-actuator.

engaging said driven element to rotate said reel.-

The preferred form of reel actuating mech anism is shown in Figs. 9.,11, 12, 13 of the drawings, the same comprising a ratchet wheel mountedon the partof stud 52 projecting through the wall of the housing, saidratchet wheel having its teeth out to effect the rotation of the reel inits winding direction.

The arrangement furthermore comprises an actuating lever 56 carrying apawl 57, pivotally mounted at 58 and a spring 59 urging said pawl intoengagement with the ratchet wheel, as shown in Fig. 13. Lever 56 isprovided with a radially'extending catch 60 projecting beyond theperiphery of the reel housing against which said lever abuts, providingmeans for operating said lever in the winding direction.

The lever is normally held in its inoperative position shown in Fig. 11by the action of a tension spring 61, attached at one end to the side ofthe casing as shown at 62, and at the other end 63 to said lever. Bycausing an angular displacement of the lever, shown in Fig. 13, in aclockwise direction, spring 61 is extended increasing its tension, sothat as soon as the lever is released, the spring will automaticallyreturn it to its normal or inoperative position.

In order to make all the parts as narrow as possible, spring 61 ispractically on the same plane with the lever 56 and therefore the innerpart of the lever is formed with a segmental rib 64 providing asupporting surface for the spring when in its extended position shown inFig. 13.

When lever 56 is moved in a clockwise direction therefore, thecorresponding reel is rotated in its winding direction, and in the samemanner when the other lever 56 is rotated in a counterclockwisedirection, its corresponding reel is also rotated in its windingdirection.

As stated before, it is desirable in devices of this kind to prevent thepossibility of one or the other reel being rotated in the wrongdirection; at the same time each reel should always. be free to rotatein the unwinding direction when the other reel is being rotated in itswinding direction.

For this condition to exist therefore, it is necessary to make itpossible for ratchet wheel 64 to rotate in a counterclockwise directionand for ratchet wheel 64 to rotate in a clockwise direction, when urgedto do so by the unwinding movement of their respective reels. Thisresult is obtained by causing pawls 57 57 to abut against a cam surfacedstop member 65,65 when the levers 56, 56=are held by their spring 61',61', in

their normal or inoperative position, shown in Fig. 11. Stops 65, 65 areso arranged that by enacting with the pawls 57 57 abutting thereagainst,they force said pawls out of engagement with their respective ratchetwheels against the action of their respective springs 59, 59'.

For this to occur it is sufiicient that springs 61, 61, be strong enoughto overcome whatever resistance may be offered by springs 59, 59, to thedisengagement of the pawls from their respective ratchet wheels, as willbe understood.

By virtue of this arrangement, both reels are therefore free to rotatein one or the other direction at all times, but are frictionally held intheir respective positions by their pressure exerting studs 53, 53, asexplained. The ratchet wheels themselves are not accessible to theoperator since the various unit frames are set in position side by side,and can only be operated by means of their catches 60, 60', which asexplained, project beyond the surface of the reel housas Figs. 4, 5,clearly shown. These catches can only be moved in one direction, thatis, towards the rear of the frame, said direction being the windingdirection of the reels controlled thereby, because stops 65, 65 preventtheir being moved in the opposite direction; and as soon as one or theother lever 56, 56 is moved in the winding direction, by means of itsrespective catch, pawl 57 or 57 will be free to move into engagementwith the ratchet wheel due to the action of its spring 59, or 59, andwill cause said ratchet wheel to follow the movement of said actuatinglever. The angular movement of the actuating levers permitted by theconstruction shown inFig. 4, for instance, is about 120 and is quitesuflicient to permit their quick operation of the various web members inorder to change the indications displayed thereby.

In the general construction of the casing 20, I have introduced a, fewadditional features which go to further improve the structure and whichI will now describe.

One of these features resides in the method of applying a transportcovering such as a glass plate 66 to the open front part of casing 20.In the construction shown, the casing is formed with a lining 67 ofsheet metal which is bent in an inverted loop 68 at the rear forming alongitudinal chamber 69 with the rear wall. of the casing, said chamberv69 providing a convenient housing for the elecagainst shoulder 70 andis then retained in Edge 43 is preferably formed position by means oftie rods 71 extending at intervals across opening 21, said tie rodsbeing connected to the sides of the front part of casing 20 by screws 72or by any other suitable means. These tie rods are very effective instrengthening the entire structure and in imparting rigidity to the openfront part of the casing; at the same time they can be easily removedfor the purpose of removing or replacing the glass covering.

Another feature which is new in this class of devices is the provisionof a longitudinal opening 78, along the bottom or the top wall or bothof the casing, directly opposite the electric bulbs, and a cover orclosure 7 4 controlling the same.

In the construction shown, opening 73 is provided through the lower wallof the casing, and closure 74 is made in the form of a door pivotallymounted onto the casing as shown at 7 5 and adapted to be retained inits closed position by catches 76. v If the door is released from itscatches and is allowed to han down from its hinges, the light generatzdby the bulb will flood the space underneath and will serve to illuminatemerchandise or other articles advertised by the sign.

If the sign is turned upside down, opening 73 will remain on top anddoor 74 can be i opened and folded over to the rear allowing the lightissuing from the bulbs to illuminate the space above the sign and anyarticles displayed therein.

Still another feature resides in a system of small spaced openings orinlets 7 6 provided through the lower wall of the casing preferably atthe front thereof, and similar spaced openings oroutlets 7 7 providedthrough the upper wall of the casing preferably at the rear. Theseopenings provide means for admitting to and exhausting air from thecasing respectively, the draft flowing therethrough passing right acrossthe bulbs and effectively cooling the inside of the casing.

The sign may be hung up by means of hooks 7 8 extending from the upperwall of the easing, or else studs 23, 24, may be threaded as shown at 79to receive screws 80 by means of which said studs may be secured tosupport-- ing brackets such as 81, 82.

The embodiment of the various novel features described, may vary to acertain extent from the one shown in the drawings without substantiallydeparting from the inventive idea; the drawings will therefore beunder-v stood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and notin a limiting sense. I accordingly reserve myself the right to carry myinvention into practice in all those ways and manner which may enter,fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a mainframe, of a plurality of individual unit frames detachably carriedthereby, arranged in longitudinal series, each unit frame carrying tworeels and a sign dis.- playing web mounted upon said reels, adapted tobe wound upon one of said reels and unwound from the other in one or theother direction,said unit frames being arranged side by side, so as tocause said webs to travel transversely of their serial arrangement, thereels of each frame being operable independently of the reels of theothers.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a mainframe, of a plurality of individual unit frames detachably carriedthereby, arranged in longitudinal series, each unit frame carrying tworeels and a sign displaying web mounted upon said reels, adapted to bewound upon one of said reels and unwound from the other in one or theother direction, and means for retaining said unit frames in positionwithin said frame,

permitting the removal or replacement of each unit frame in positionindependently of the others. I

3. In a device of the class described, a web carrying frame comprisingtwo open front end reel housings and aweb backing member integraltherewith interposed therebetween, said member being provided with meansfor guiding the edge of a web member traveling from one of said housingsto the other.

4'. In a device of the class described, a Web carrying. frame comprisingtwo open front end reel housings and a web backing member integraltherewith interposed between the open front ends thereof, said webbacking member having its edges bent inwardly to form guides for theedges, of a web member traveling from one of said housingsto the other.y 5. In a device of the class described, a web driving mechanismcomprising a frame, two reels rotatably mounted on said frame, a webmember wound upon said reels and adapted to travel t-herebetween in oneor the other direction, a normally inoperative one way driving mechanismassociated with each reel, adapted to rotate said reel in its windingdirection, said mechanism comprising an element carried by said reel, amanually operable controlling lever pivoted coaxially of said reel, amember movably mounted on said lever adapted to engage said reel elementwhen the lever is angularly displaced in the winding direction, meansurging said movably mounted member into engagement with said reelelement, means normally retaining said lever in its inoperativeposition, and means forcing said movably mounted member out ofengagement with said reel element, when said lever is in its inoperativeposition.

6. In a device of the class described, a Web driving mechanismcomprising a frame, two reels rotatably mounted on said frame, a webmember wound upon said reels and adapted to travel therebetween in oneor the other direction, a normally inoperative pawl and ratchetmechanism associated with each reel, adapted to rotate said reel in itswinding direction, said mechanism comprising a ratchet wheel carried bysaid reel, a lever pivoted coaxially of said reel, a pawl carried bysaid lever, a spring mounted on said lever urging said pawl intooperative engagement with said ratchet wheel, a spring normally resaidunit frames being arranged side by side,

so as to cause said webs to travel transversely of their serialarrangement, and a rear member adapted to be detachably connected tosaid cover, locking said unit frames in position.

8. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising a front coverhaving a display opening, a plurality of individual unit framesdetachably mounted in longitudinal arrangement within said cover, eachunit frame carrying two reels and a sign displaying web, mounted uponsaid reels, adapted to be wound upon one of said reels and unwound fromthe other in one or the. other direction, said unit frames beingarranged side by side, so as to cause said webs to travel transverselyof theirserial arrangement, and a rear member adapted to be detachablyconnected to said cover, said cover being formed with spring actinglateral extensions, adapted to snap into engagement with said rearmember, locking said unit frames in position.

9. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising a front coverhaving a displayopening, a plurality of individual unit frames eachcomprising two end reel housings and a web backing member interposedtherebetween, mounted in longitudinal arrangement within said cover,each unit frame carrying two reels and a sign displaying web,

mounted upon said reels, adapted to be wound upon one of said reels andunwound from the other in one or the other direction, said unit framesbeing arranged side by side, so as to cause said webs to traveltransversely of their serial arrangement, means external to each framefor operating its reels, and a rear member adapted to be detachablyconnected to said cover, having a part extending to the rear of said webbacking members, between Said reel housings, leaving exposed saidh0usings and reel operating means, locking said unit frames in position.

10. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising a frontcover having a display opening, a plurality of individual unit framesdetachably mounted in longitudinal arrangement within said cover, eachunit frame carrying two reels and a transparent sign displaying web,mounted upon said reels, adapted to be wound upon one of said reels andunwound from the other in one or the other direction, said unit framesbeing arranged side by side, so as to cause said webs to traveltransversely of their serial arrangement, a rear member adapted to bedetachably connected to said cover, locking said unit frames inposition, and light generating means mounted within said rear member.

11. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising a coverhaving a front display opening, a plurality of web members mounted sideby side therein, said web members being movable across said opening ineither direction, and a rear member adapted tobe detachably connected tosaid cover, said cover being formed with spring acting rearwardextensions adapted to snap into engagement with said rear member,connecting said two parts to each other.

12. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising a coverhaving a front display opening, an open front rear body member adaptedto be detachably connected to said cover, light generating means mountedwithin said rear body member, an opening 1 through one of thelongitudinal walls of said rear body member, and a door membercontrolling said longitudinal wall opening.

13. In a device of the class described, the combination with a casingcomprising a cover having a front display opening, a plurality oftransparent sign displaying webs mounted side by side therein, and anopen front rear body member adapted to be detachably connected to saidcover, of light generating means mounted within said rear body member,and a transparent'covering for the open front thereof, said coveringbeing detachably mounted on said rear body member, and being bodilydetachable therewith,

from said cover.

14. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising a coverhaving a front display opening, an open front rear body member adaptedto be detachably connected to said cover, light generating means mountedwithin said rear body member, and openings through the top and bottomwalls of said rearbody member, allowing air to ventilate the insidethereof.

15. In a device of the class described, the combination, with a casingcomprising a cover having a front display opening, and an open frontrear body member adapted to be detachably connected to said cover, of

light generating means mounted within said rear body member, atransparent covering for the open front thereof, said covering beingdetachably mounted on said rear body member, and being bodily detachabletherewith, from said cover, and openings through the top and bottomwalls of said rear body member, allowing air to ventilate the insidethereof.

16. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising an openfront body and a front cover having a display opening, detachablyconnected thereto, a plurality of individual unit frames each carryingtwo spaced reels and a transparent sign displaying web mounted upon saidreels, adapted to be wound upon one of said reels and unwound from theother in one or the other direction, light generating means mountedwithin said body, a transparent covering carried by said body for theopen front thereof, an opening through one of the transversal walls ofsaid body, a door controlling said transversal wall opening, and anormally inoperative one way driving mechanism associated with eachreel.

17. In a device of the class described, a casing comprising an openfront body and a front cover having a. display opening, detachablyconnected thereto, a plurality of individual unit frames each carryingtwo spaced reels and a transparent sign displaying web mounted upon saidreels, adapted to be wound upon one of said reels and unwound from theother in one or the other direction, light generating means mountedwithin said body, a transparent covering carried by said body for theopen front thereof, an opening through one of the transversal walls ofsaid body, a door controlling said transversal wall opening, openingsthrough said transversal walls allowing air to ventilate the inside ofsaid body, and a normally inoperative pawl and ratchet mechanismassociated with each reel, adapted to rotate said reel in its windingdirection, said mechanism comprising a ratchet wheel carried by saidreel, a lever pivoted coaxially of said reel, a pawl carried by saidlever, a spring mounted on said lever urging said pawl into operativeengagement with said ratchet, a spring normally retaining said lever inits inoperative position, and a stop member forcing said pawl out ofengagement with said wheel, when said lever is in its inoperativedirection.

GEORGE MARGOLIN.

